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Cooking Dumplings
Shaping, filling, and cooking methods. (From Sur la Table: Recipes / Asian Dumplings.)
Shaping and Filling
Shao mai, wonton shapes, and pyramids should be made with square wonton wrappers. Potstickers, mandus, and pel'menis can be made with round gyoza or with square wonton wrappers that have been cut into rounds (see Shao Mai, illustration 1). Choose any of the fillings on pages 14 and 15 and serve with either of the dipping sauces.
Shao Mai
1. Use a cookie cutter to make square wonton skins round.2. Hold a wonton skin in the cup of your hand; place two rounded teaspoons of filling in the center. 3. Cup your hand around the wonton skin, gathering folds up around the filling. Press the gathered folds lightly around the filling to adhere, forming a cup-shaped dumpling. Top with a fresh pea, if desired. Proceed with steaming.
Tortellini-shaped Wontons
1. Position a square wonton wrapper with one point facing you. Place one rounded teaspoon of filling in the center. Fold the wrapper in half to form a triangle.2. Fold the long edge containing the filling over, leaving the top of the triangle exposed about a half inch. 3. Moisten the underside of the right point, then bring the two points together, right over left, to overlap away from the tip of the triangle. Pinch the points together to seal the dumpling. Proceed with boiling, steaming, or deep-frying.
Purse-shaped Wontons
1. Hold a square wonton wrapper in the cup of your hand. Take one rounded teaspoon of filling, and place the spoon slightly off-center on the wrapper.2. With your thumb, fold one side of the wonton wrapper over the filled spoon. 3. Wrap the filling inside the wrapper between your thumb and index finger, gently remove the spoon, and seal the wonton by pinching the wrapper together. Proceed with boiling, steaming, or deep-frying.
Pyramids
1. Place two level teaspoons of filling in the center of a square wonton wrapper.2. Moisten the edges lightly with water. Bring up two opposite corners of the wrapper and join over the filling. 3. Bring up the two other corners and pinch all four together in a point to make a pyramid-shaped parcel. Pinch the seams firmly together to seal. Proceed with pan-frying or steaming.
Pleated Potstickers
1. Place one teaspoon of filling in the center of a round wrapper. Moisten the edge with water. Holding the filled circle in one hand, pinch the dough shut at one point on one side with the thumb and index finger of your other hand.2. Still using that thumb and index finger, continue to pinch the dough to form pleats along the back edge, pressing the pleats against the front edge to seal the dumpling. 3. Pinch the dumpling shut to completely enclose the filling. Proceed with pan-frying or steaming. (Do not steam if made with gyoza wrappers.)
Mandu or Pel'meni
1. For the mandu, place one heaping teaspoon of filling in the center of a round wrapper. Fold the wrapper over the filling to form a half-moon shape. Seal edge. Proceed with boiling.2. For the pel'meni, follow step 1, moistening the two corners of the half-moon shaped dough. Bring the corners together, overlapping them a bit. Pinch to seal. Proceed with boiling, deep-frying, or steaming. (Do not steam if made with gyoza wrappers.)
Ruffled Potstickers
1. Place one rounded teaspoon of filling in the center of a round wrapper. Moisten the edge with water. Fold the wrapper in half, then use your index finger and thumb to pinch the edges together and seal.2. Lightly press the filling on the counter to form a flat base. Gather the pinched edges together to form ruffles on the top. Proceed with pan-frying or steaming. (Do not steam if made with gyoza wrappers.)
Cooking Methods
With all of the methods that follow, cook the dumplings in small batches to avoid overcrowding the pan and to ensure proper cooking. Serve dumplings as soon after cooking as possible, with dipping sauces passed separately.
To pan-fry dumplings:
Bring ½ cup water or chicken broth to simmer in small saucepan. Meanwhile, heat 2 tablespoons vegetable oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. When oil is hot and hazy, add dumplings, flat sides down. Fry until bottoms are brown, about 2 minutes. Add simmering broth to skillet, pouring around dumplings. Cover and cook until liquid is absorbed, about 3 minutes longer. Uncover and let dumplings fry until bottoms are crisp again, about 1 minute.
To deep-fry dumplings:
Heat 2 to 3 inches vegetable oil to 350 degrees in wok or heavy skillet. Add dumplings, a few at a time, and fry until golden, about 2 minutes. Remove with slotted spoon and drain on wire rack set over jelly-roll pan. Keep warm in 200-degree oven while frying remaining dumplings.
To boil dumplings:
Bring 4 quarts water to boil; add 1 tablespoon salt and dumplings. Reduce heat to medium; simmer, uncovered, until filling is cooked through, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove dumplings with slotted spoon. Serve with dipping sauces or drop into hot broth.
To steam dumplings:
Grease a collapsible steamer basket (cooking spray works best). Fill large soup kettle with enough water to come to bottom of basket. Bring to simmer over medium-low heat; lower basket into kettle. Arrange dumplings ½-inch apart in basket. Increase heat to high; cover and steam until dumplings are cooked through, about 5 minutes.
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